An international battle has begun to close down an animal rights website that
discloses names and home addresses of officials involved in the badger cull.

A warning letter has been sent by ministers to the US-based company that hosts the website, urging it to remove the material from the internet or face prosecution.

On the website, activists are urged to take direct action to disrupt the cull, including bombarding the named officials with unwanted phone calls and emails.

The home address of Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, is disclosed along with those of government officials and National Farmers’ Union employees.

The personal details were first published on a British-based site, which is run by the Coalition of Badger Action Groups (CBAG).

They were removed after the site was served with an injunction, but within minutes had reappeared on the US-hosted site. Campaigners are urged to “contact all the people involved as frequently as you can”.